DOJ 2012 grant program plan released

The US Department of Justice/Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has released their 2012 Program Plan for resources for criminal justice, juvenile justice and victim’s services fields. This 81-page document provides an overview of the $2 billion in authorized grant programs available in 2012 for justice.

The OJP 2012 Plan describes the grant opportunities available this fiscal year, setting objectives and goals.

OJP’s objective is to be the premier resource for the justice community by providing and coordinating information, research and development, statistics, training, and support to help the justice community meet its public safety goals and embracing local decision-making through national policy leadership.

OJP’s goals are to:1.) strengthen partnerships with state, local, and tribal stakeholders;2.) ensure integrity of, and respect for, science including a focus on evidence-based, “smart on crime” approaches in criminal and juvenile justice; and3.) administer OJP’s grant awards process in a fair, accessible, and transparent fashion and as good stewards of federal funds, manage the grants system in a manner that avoids waste, fraud, and abuse

The following law enforcement grant funding opportunities are to be funded in 2012:

Discretionary/Competitive Grants

Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program—National Initiatives
The Byrne Competitive Program helps local communities improve the capacity of state and local justice systems by providing national support efforts, including training and technical assistance strategically targeted to address local needs. Several solicitations are expected to be released under the Byrne Competitive Program that will focus on national initiatives in the areas of criminal courts, indigent defense, and justice information sharing.

State Justice Statistics Technical Assistance Program
BJS will seek to fund a State Justice Statistics Technical Assistance Program having four main components: Information Acquisition and Dissemination; the Technical Assistance Program; the Incident-Based Reporting Resource Center; and the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Data Resource Center.

Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)
This program enhances the capacity of regulatory and law enforcement agencies to collect and analyze controlled substance prescription data. The program supports states in establishing a prescription drug monitoring program.

Community-Based Violence Prevention Program
OJJDP will fund new sites to replicate intervention programs, such as the Boston Gun Project, the Richmond Comprehensive Homicide Initiative, and the Chicago CeaseFire model, to reduce violence in targeted communities. Applicants must focus their proposed programs on the high-risk activities and behaviors of a small number of carefully selected members of the community who are likely to be involved in gun violence in the immediate future.

Child Protection Division
OJJDP will support select law enforcement agencies in their development of strategies to protect children from commercial sexual exploitation. Grantees will improve training and coordination activities, develop policies and procedures to identify child victims of commercial sexual exploitation, investigate and prosecute cases against adults who sexually exploit children for commercial purposes, and provide essential services to victims, including cases where technology is used to facilitate the exploitation of the victim.

Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is reputed to be one of the most profitable and fastest growing endeavors of organized crime—an endeavor that enslaves thousands of people within the United States each year and perhaps millions internationally. The DOJ includes investigating human trafficking among its top priorities. To address this problem, BJA will continue to provide funds for state, local, and tribal law enforcement to proactively investigate human trafficking with the primary goal of identifying and rescuing victims of severe forms of trafficking.

Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP)
This program reimburses states and local units of government up to 50 percent of the cost of a bulletproof vest for a law enforcement officer. The application opens once per year, but payments are made year round in monthly batches and are usable for a two-year period. Once a jurisdiction receives an award, it must request funds and provide vest receipts.

Violent Gang and Gun Crime Reduction Program Project Safe Neighborhoods
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is designed to create safer neighborhoods through a sustained reduction in crime associated with gang and gun violence.

Protecting Public Health, Safety, and the Economy from Counterfeit Goods and Product Piracy: The Intellectual Property Theft Enforcement Program
The Intellectual Property Theft Enforcement Program is designed to provide national support and improve the capacity of state, local, and tribal criminal justice systems to address intellectual property criminal.

National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP)
The NCHIP program helps states, territories, and tribes to improve the quality, timeliness, and immediate accessibility of criminal history and related records for use by federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement.

Southwest Border Prosecution Initiative (SWBPI)
This initiative provides funds to eligible jurisdictions in the four southwest border states (Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas) for qualifying federally initiated and declined-referred criminal cases that were disposed of after October 1, 2005. Successful applicants may use their federal funds for any lawful purpose.

Northern Border Prosecution Initiative (NBPI)
This initiative provides funds to eligible jurisdictions in the 14 northern border states (Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin) for qualifying federally initiated and declined-referred criminal cases that were disposed of after October 1, 2005. Although reimbursements from NBPI federal payments may be used by applicant jurisdictions for any purpose not otherwise prohibited by federal law, using funds to support and enhance additional prosecutorial and detention services is encouraged.

Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program
NIJ seeks proposals for the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program, which awards grants to states and units of local government to help improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services. Among other things, funds may be used to eliminate a backlog in the analysis of forensic evidence and to train and employ forensic laboratory personnel.

DNA Backlog Reduction Program
The goal of NIJ's FY 2012 DNA Backlog Reduction Program is to assist eligible states and units of local government to process, record, screen, and analyze forensic DNA and/or DNA database samples; and to increase the capacity of public forensic DNA and DNA database laboratories to process more DNA samples, thereby reducing the number of forensic DNA and DNA database samples awaiting analysis.

Solving Cold Cases with DNA
NIJ will provide funding for states and units of local government to identify, review, and investigate violent crime cold cases that have the potential to be solved using DNA analysis, and to locate and analyze biological evidence associated with these cases.

Formula Grants/Non-Competitive

Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program
JAG provides states, tribes, and local governments with critical funding necessary to support a range of program areas including law enforcement; prosecution and court; prevention and education; corrections and community corrections; drug treatment and enforcement; planning, evaluation, and technology improvement; and crime victim and witness initiatives. JAG funds may be used to address crime by providing services directly to individuals and communities; and by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice systems, processes, and procedures.

If you are interested in applying for any grants through the Office of Justice Programs, please contact the appropriate State Administering Agency to discuss your state’s strategic plan and program priorities prior to developing your grant application. Your grant request must be aligned with your state strategic plan.